Climate-Proof Beans Are the Future of Coffee

Climate change is threatening your morning coffee, but this rediscovered bean might just be the answer — and researchers say it tastes ‘fantastic.’

Climate change has already affected production of the world's two main coffee species, arabica and robusta. With ongoing drought and disease, studies report that globally, half of the land used to produce high-quality coffee could be unproductive by 2050. But researchers have recently discovered another species, stenophylla, growing in Sierra Leone — it hasn't been seen in the wild in decades.

#Coffee #ClimateChange #Earth #Environment #Science #NowThis

Connect with NowThis

NowThis Earth is daily news coverage of climate, sustainability, biodiversity, species extinction, environmental justice, and other planetary concerns.

NowThis is your premier news outlet providing you with all the videos you need to stay up to date on all the latest in trending news. From entertainment to politics, to viral videos and breaking news stories, we’re delivering all you need to know straight to your social feeds. We live where you live.

@NowThisEarth

[shaunaburton]

That’s so cool! We need to really ensure our crops as temperatures change.

[averyt.desilva]

Call me weird but i love watching documentaries about nature and cooking they're so relaxing

[comfortablynumb]

I want to move back to Costa Rica and grow that coffee. It might even live by the beach.

[Infamous_B_C]

How happy that as we burn we can still drink bean juice.

[foxhazglocks]

" The rediscovered bean" sounds like a late 90s punk band.

[PierreLaBaguette]

Nature has a lot for us. What do we have for nature?

[puffthecatpuff]

As long as I get my kick, and my friends tell me that I need to ease up on the coffee, I am game.

[Skidmark]

What I see is that nature is so resilient that another species can now thrive. The old species will just have to move north to a cooler latitude.

[amberharmsen]

Now a reason for people to care about climate change

[brayanguzman]

The world is on fire and am sad cause there's nothing I can do 😢

[biomutarist]

It goes beyond just coffee -- many other commercial plants such as banana trees are in danger of extinction through inbreeding and climate change.

There are plans to protect and domesticate the wild relatives of all the fruits and vegetables we grow and eat, especially since there are more climate-resilient and pest-resistant varieties out there. Like stated in the video, we risk losing these wild varieties to deforestation and other disturbances. Imagine, there could be some exotic-tasting versions of the usual stuff we eat, going extinct as we breathe!

[ultrashadow]

Why not just legalize Khat? Khat is more resilient than coffee. You can brew some khat tea or chew some khat leaves. Khat is a stimulant similar to coffee, but a little stronger and smoother. Cathinone is the future of caffeine.

[alexanderclarke]

There should be growing programs around the world!! Apply for an endangered plant species, learn and master the art of propagating it. To be accepted though, each person would need to meet certain standards, and to provide proof of continued growing success.

[grmpEqweer]

I bet that would grow well in Haiti. They have coffee production there, but this species is more versatile...

[idontliketonotknow]

Who knew about this because of James Hoffmann?

[andrewblack]

You know We grow arabica in Hawaii in a range of elevations and temp. Really you are exaggerating the issues. And fueling anxiety.

[LM]

Perhaps stop fighting nature and change what you value. If there can be no coffee or space to grow it, then I won't consume it. Are there plans to wipe out ecosystems to plant fields of this coffee?
"Business as usual is over...Value change for survival" -Oren Lyons, faithkeeper of the Haudenosaunee

[Theballonist]

“Discovered” okay, sure.

This is not a good thing. A single pound of coffee is the output of a whole coffee plant for one year. Growing coffee at the scale we currently do cannot be sustained.

[frankcastle]

We could always hybrid them while we get climate change under control

[torinmorris]

Cant wait for fox news to rant about this